April 15, 2006	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 16, 1427

KARACHI, April 14: Opposition benches in the Sindh Assembly on Friday demanded removal of governor and home minister, saying: “If peace and safety of people’s life and property is to be ensured, the two slots will have to be withdrawn from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.”

The demand came from opposition MPAs during a discussion on the identical adjournment motions moved by 12 members from the opposition and treasury sides under Rule 72 on the April 11 Nishtar Park bomb blast, which blew up the stage of the main Eid Milad congregation in the city killing many key leaders of several Ahle Sunnat parties, mainly the Sunni Tehrik.

Nearly 50 of more than 100 people on and around the stage lost their lives in the blast which also left another 100 injured.

Referring to the tragic incident and the ensuing violence in which private and public property was damaged by angry mobs of protesters, the opposition members said that the governor and home minister were responsible for the law and order situation.

On their part, the speakers from treasury benches termed the bombing a conspiracy hatched by anti-state elements bent upon triggering a ‘civil war’, and asked the opposition benches not to politicize the incident and “try to understand the enemies’ designs.”

Five members, three from the opposition and two from treasury benches, took part in the debate till 12:30pm, when Mohammad Hussain, a member of the panel of chairmen who was chairing the session called it a day.

All the speakers strongly condemned the act of terrorism which, they said, deeply shocked the entire nation.

Hameedullah Khan of MMA was the first member to speak. He squarely criticised the provincial government for its utter failure in maintaining the law and order. Quoting figures from the Jamaat-i-Islami’s recently released ‘white paper’, he deplored that the government had failed to protect the life and property of citizens. In 2005, 676 people, who included 37 political leaders and activists were killed, he said, adding that as many as 745 attempts on the life of other prominent figures were made in Karachi alone. “Thirteen police personnel out of those who had taken part in the Karachi operation have so far been killed and 45 injured in 386 attacks by armed men,” he said.

The MMA member told the house that 645 people were kidnapped, 32 of them for ransom, and 3,595 vehicles costing their owners a collective amount of over Rs 1.8 billion, were taken away. Moreover, 5,232 motorcycles were taken away by criminals from November 2004 to January 2005, he added.

Hameedullah Khan said that within the first three months of the current year, 97 people were killed in the city.

He questioned the justification for spending Rs13 billion on the law and order, protocol and security for the governor, chief minister, ministers, and VIPs’ movement, and wondered that even ambulances carrying patients in critical condition could not find a clear way to hospitals despite such a heavy spending.

Ridiculing the government’s claim of fool-proof security arrangements, he referred to media reports that no personnel from any security agency could reach the scene of Nishtar Park blast several afters after it took place.

“Assassinations of Mufti Shamzai, Mufti Jamil, Munawwar Suhrawardi, Aslam Mujahid and many other high profile figures, as well as massive blasts at mosques, religious seminaries, mosques and Imambargahs speak volume of the so called fool-proof security,” he lamented.

All these lapses, he said, proved that the government had absolutely failed to dispense its responsibility. Therefore, he argued, the home ministry should be withdrawn from the MQM. The governor should also be removed for his failure in ensuring safety and security of people of Sindh. Their continued presence, he said, was bound to turn the investigation into the acts of terrorism towards a wrong direction. He also wondered that with in half-an-hour after the Nishtar Park blast, police had reached the conclusion that it was a case of suicide bombing.

Syed Murad Ali Shah of PML-Q said that no Muslim could commit such a heinous crime. It was because of such acts that Muslims around the world had earned a bad name, he said. He said that the blast was part of the conspiracy aimed at triggering a civil war in the country and thus weaken the country.

Urging people to try to understand the conspiracy, he appealed for unity among citizens to foil it, saying that people should not indulge in violence and sabotage as this would only undermine the country’s progress.

Defending the government’s view that the Nishtar Park blast was a suicide attack, he said such acts could not be prevented by anyone. He pointed out that not only the provincial government had ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident, but the president and prime minister had also ordered inquiries at federal level so that the culprits could be apprehended and punished.

Rafique Engineer of PPP held the provincial government responsible for the tragedy, and recalled that the ulema of Ahle Sunnat had demanded stringent security measures for the April 11 Eid Milad congregation similar to those always taken by the government for Muharram processions. He regretted that no heed was paid to the ulema’s request.

He also pinpointed the contradiction in police views, saying that within 15 minutes after the blast, the CCPO declared it a suicide attack and the DIG believed it was a planted bomb.

He also recalled that the Sunni Tehrik leaders, Abbas Qadri, Iftikhar Bhatti and several others who died in the blast had, at a press conference, demanded security citing the threats they had constantly been receiving before the blast. “Why they were not provided security?” he asked.

The member further asked the government why it had forced fuel station operators to keep their business closed for almost three days after the incident. He pointed out that every citizen of the city had to suffer due to this action.

Rafique Engineer regretted absence of the home minister from the house and of DIG from the officials’ gallery despite the fact that the house had scheduled the discussion for Friday on the most horrific incident the city had witnessed in almost two decades.

Minister for Women Development Saeeda Malik termed the Nishtar Park incident ‘a national tragedy’ which demanded efforts to expose those working to disunite the nation.

Pointing out that Muslims around the world were being labelled as ‘terrorists’, she said this was not the time to make emotional speeches and politicise the issue.

She suggested that the treasury and opposition benches should mutually decide to confine the discussion to the tragedy because facts were being collected through the inquiries and investigations already under way at different levels.

She said that the government believed the blast a suicide bombing case because it did not create any crater. Besides, she said, after clearance given by the bomb disposal experts, the stage had been handed over to the volunteers of the organisers at 2pm.

She said if the treasury and opposition kept only criticising each other, the culprits could go scot-free and escape punishment.

Yunus Barai of MMA said that the entire country was in a state of shock and grief and felt insecure.

He said that people were suffering on account of deteriorating law and order situation, as well as the price spiral. He said that Abbas Qadri, Akram Qadri and Iftikhar Bhatti had been demanding security for one year but the government did not oblige them. He asked the government to explain its position in this regard.

He said that the law and order in the city was not in the interest of extortionists and terrorists, who had resorted to eliminate MPA Abdullah Murad, Munawwar Suhrawardi, Aslam Mujahid, Mufti Shamzai and other ulema and political figures.

“The government believes it was a case of suicide bombing, but who may dare to carry out such an attack at such an auspicious religious gathering?”

Qamar Mansoor, Shakir Ali and Shoaib Bokhari from the treasury benches drew the chair’s attention to, what they believed, irrelevant remarks made by some opposition members which could vitiate atmosphere in the house.

The chair ordered that all such remarks be expunged, and advised members to confine their speeches to the incident.

Earlier, soon after the house was called to order at 10.45am, Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah asked leader of the opposition Nisar Ahmad Khuhro and Law Minister Iftikhar Chaudhry whether they would like to suspend question hour so that the adjournment motions on the Nishtar Park tragedy could be taken up directly. Mr Khuhro pointed out that the speaker had on Thursday said that the house would resume its business at 9:30pm but the proceedings today started at around 11am.

The law minister said that the treasury had no objection in taking up discussion immediately. However, Mr Khuhro said: “We are not in majority, but if the house would like to seek my opinion, I propose the house to continue the proceedings for four hours.”

This was opposed by the law minister who said: “Let us take up the normal business.”

The question hour started around 11am with Deputy Speaker Rahila Tiwana in the chair.

Hardly 20 minutes later, MMA members, led by Hameedullah Khan rose from their seats and sought the chair’s permission to move their adjournment motion. The chair objected to their attitude, asking them whey they had not opted for this when their opinion was sought by the speaker. However, Iftikhar Chaudhry and Syed Sardar Ahmad said they had no objection if the MMA moved the motion for suspension of the question hour to get its adjournment motion discussed.

Member of the panel of chairmen, Mohammad Hussain had since taken the chair of the speaker to preside over the rest of the proceedings. Hameedullah Khan moved both the motions and the house unanimously gave its consent, paving the way for the discussion.

The house will resume the debate on Monday morning.

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